Maloney benefit to aid Child Advocacy Center

NORTH HAMPTON — The second annual Chief Michael Maloney St. Patrick's Day Benefit held at Locals Restaurant in North Hampton will help fund the Child Advocacy Center of Rockingham County, which receives 10 percent of its funding through federal grants and is left to fend for itself for the rest.

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By Nick B. Reid

seacoastonline.com

By Nick B. Reid

Posted Feb. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Nick B. Reid

Posted Feb. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

NORTH HAMPTON — The second annual Chief Michael Maloney St. Patrick's Day Benefit held at Locals Restaurant in North Hampton will help fund the Child Advocacy Center of Rockingham County, which receives 10 percent of its funding through federal grants and is left to fend for itself for the rest.

The Child Advocacy Center, which covers all 37 municipalities in Rockingham County, serves as a safe place for children to disclose allegations of abuse and condenses a process that sometimes left children being interviewed up to eight times in different places, according to Executive Director Maureen "Moe" Sullivan.

Sullivan said the Child Advocacy Center can perform one professional, recorded interview that saves police departments time and can result in a 40 percent higher prosecution rate and sentences for perpetrators up to five times as long. North Hampton police Sgt. Joshua Stokel also noted new problems are prevented when violent criminals are serving longer sentences.

Sullivan, Stokel and North Hampton police officer Katie O'Brien met at Locals Restaurant on Monday to announce the benefit, which will be held from 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 14. There will be a 50-50 raffle held by the North Hampton Fire Department, a silent auction featuring such items as a flat-screen television, an outdoor speaker system and Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox memorabilia. In addition, there will be T-shirts and pint glasses featuring a four-leaf clover and Maloney's name, according to O'Brien.

One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit the Rockingham County CAC, and the New England Police Benevolent Association, which is sponsoring the event, has been known to tack on a little extra, O'Brien said.

Sullivan said the Rockingham County CAC was the first of its kind in the state, is in its 15th year and has serviced 4,600 children.

"I've saved the county over $7 million," she said, noting the efficiencies of saving redundant interviews. "We've really changed the criminal justice system for kids."

Sullivan said that in the old system, children were often so fatigued and traumatized by all the interviewing that by the time a case went to trial, they wanted no part in it.

O'Brien said the first Maloney benefit last year raised about $10,000, but it was also a rare chance for officers to come together and simply enjoy each other's company, all while remembering the police chief. She said she hopes the event will benefit a different charity each year, but always remain local.

"This was Chief Maloney's community, we want it to be a local event," she said.

The event can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/377665112358729/.